1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to entertainment lighting, and more specifically is a device used to mount lighting fixtures during productions and for storage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The type of light fixture mounting device that is the subject of the present invention is used in theatrical, musical, television, and other productions that require rented lighting fixtures. Many productions require lighting fixtures to be hung from a pipe or to sit on the floor of the stage or set piece. When the production is over, which may be days or months, these fixtures are typically packed into a road case to protect them during shipment. When these lighting fixtures are returned to the rental house they are usually unpacked, tested, and re-packed. This testing is done in either the hanging or floor orientation. In a typical hanging configuration, one or two clamping devices are mounted to the fixture before it can be hung. These clamps must be removed if the fixture is to be located on the floor. The time spent removing and assembling these clamping devices can add up to a considerable amount when there are hundreds of lights used in a show. Some shows travel to a new city every day or two. In these cases removing and assembling clamps adds up to a substantial cost.
Cases made for transportation are often fabricated to be tall enough to accommodate both the fixture and the clamping device. This requires that the case be much larger than actually required. With some shows that travel day after day all over the country and the world the extra cost for this wasted space is substantial.
Examples of prior art clamping devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D457,410, issued May 21, 2002, “A Lighting Clamp”, and U.S. Pat. No. D453,671, issued Feb. 19, 2002, “A Lighting Clamp”, both by VanFange. Both of these clamps disclose the state of the art for lighting fixture clamping devices. They do a very good job of quickly securing a lighting fixture to a truss or pipe. The clamps typically require a bolt to fasten them to a lighting fixture. Tightening the bolts can take a lot of time if there are a many fixtures used in a production, or if the production is often moved from location to location. Further, if the bolts remain on the fixture during transportation in a case, the bolts take up a significant amount of space, sometimes up to an additional 20% of space.
Prior art lighting fixtures that could make use of the clamping devices disclosed by VanFange are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,955 by Bornhorst, “Variable Light Modifier ”, issued Sep. 24, 2002.
A prior art trunk that would be used to transport lighting fixtures with clamps is disclosed by Bornhorst in U.S. Pat. No. D347,113, “Storage and transportation trunk”.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting device that is always fastened to the lighting fixture, whether the fixture is hung from an overhead location or is located on the floor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lighting fixture mounting device that allows for the fixture to be hung on a pipe for a production while requiring little space when not in use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sturdy base when the lighting fixture is being used on the floor.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a lighting fixture mounting device that takes up little room when the lighting fixture is stored or is placed in a protective case.